The impact of philanthropy on climate change resilience and rural livelihoods: a case of utariri (stewardship) in Hurungwe district, Mashonaland west province, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Climate change is now universally recognized as a global crisis, with its most destructive consequences falling disproportionately on less developed nations. In Zimbabwe, as in many other developing countries, rural communities that depend primarily on rain‑fed agriculture are especially exposed to the adverse effects of climate variability and extreme weather events. Despite this acute vulnerability, the African region receives less than 3% of global climate finance, with flows heavily skewed toward mitigation projects and donor conditionalities that often sideline local adaptation needs (United Nations Environment Program, n.d). In this context, Philanthropy has emerged as a critical gap-filler, particularly in regions like Southern Africa, where structural underfunding undermines resilience. In Zimbabwe, this role is exemplified by the Utariri Program. This study, therefore, evaluates the impact of philanthropy on climate change resilience and rural livelihoods in Hurungwe District, Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe, with a focus on the Utariri (Stewardship) Program. A mixed-methods convergent parallel design was employed, combining household surveys, key informant interviews, and desk research.